you know, a lot of us spoil our pets, let them take cat naps. But what if you pets are exotic and their idea of a meal is nine pounds of meat. One woman swears her felines are more friendly than ferocious. We dare to look into the eye of the tiger. This lioness is on the loose and she is hungry, very hungry. 130 pounds of musle and razor sharp teeth, she makes a beeline to the house and hops right up on the counter. She knows the house is hers. She acts like an overgrown house cat which is basically what she is. She was raised by anelle and her boyfriend right here in this kitchen. What does that mean? Give me the bottle. Even as the lioness growls and bares her teeth, she doesn't show a hint of hesitation or fear. If she wanted to,he could overpower any of us? Yes. She and her seven other lion siblings aren't puts but more like her children that she has raised. Just a hungry baby? A feeding. A very hungry baby. Anelle's farm is is a 20 minute drive down a bumpy road. It's immediately clear this is no ordinary home in rural south africa. Everywhere you look -- look at that face. A different animal. Who sleeps with you? The leopard. This guy. The mongoose and the mere cat. How do you fit into this bed? It's difficult. You don't move? You don't role over. It's less the zoo in the house than the one outside that is their focus. They have servals, a leopard, and seven big lions. What happens if I touch him? You can touch him. Really. He's going to watch for the camera first. You're not going to bite my hand off? Whoa, big boy. He has grown too big and dangerous to live in the house and is now in this enclose sure. She is going to climb you. And while she seems to want to show only love. Do you have any last words? I love my family. That was a nibble on the back. Yeah. With a quick nip of my back doesn't take much to remind me how deadly she could be. It because love bite? Yeah. From a lion. A love bite from a lion. That's going to leave a mark for a couple of days. There are eight times more lions in captivity in south africa that in the wild. Animal tourism is a huge business and guest farms like this one have sprung up all over the place. Wow. Anelle opened the guest farm to the public three years ago, bringing in school groups and overnight guests to stay and enjoy their collection of predatory cats. They argue this is not just a business but helping wildlife conservation efforts through education. You have got people coming out here that don't have the opportunity to get out in the wild. You have the youngsters coming in here. They are getting up close and it means something to them. It's not just a lion that you have seen on tv. If they go and hear about something being done to a lion or lions being mistreated. Many conservationists disagree saying small farms like this one make no difference but the farms are focused on making money off of the animals. Big cats kept like pets can not be returned to the wild. You cannot train them in anyway. So claiming that keeping a lion as a pet has something to do with conservation is really dubious. Then there is the potential danger. A staffer was mauled to death but one of the animals in oregon. Anelle doesn't let her guests in with the adult lions but insists hers would never turn on her. You are showing absolutely no fear. They are roaring? They won't hurt me. They won't hurt you? I raised them. So I trust them and they trust me. It's really dangerous to think that there is no danger. It's easy to think that when they are little and they really do rely on the person to be their surrogate mother. But that will change. They become adults in real life. They don't stay with the mother forever. They have to get out on their own. That's clearly not on anelle's mind as she plays with this 18 month old timba. He was reared in the house until he, too, got too big for the bed. He has been replaced by this little guy. He is just six weeks old. A son of two of her bigger lions. He is just a squealing newborn but already familiar with the wa of the house. He is telling us it's time to eat. He is moaning now. What's wrong? It's coming. Anelle has hopes to grow her farm, bringing in more lions as well as other cats. For now her focus is caring for the cats she has and raising the next generation. Can you take the wild out of

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

{"id":20859371,"title":"Living With 8 Lions","duration":"6:03","description":"A South African woman says she is helping wildlife conservation efforts, but experts aren't so sure.","section":"Nightline","mediaType":"Default"}